Hang Gliding

Leaping off cliffs into space with a flimsy contraption on your back seems to be a favorite sport in this part of the world, with many visitors from other countries coming here for expressly that purpose. Not only is the weather good and pleasurable, but the climate is inducive to thermals and the multitude of hills and mountains are ideal for jumping into the void.

There are take-off sites all along the coast and throughout the back country. We'll build up the list here over the next few months as we find them in our travels. As you travel, look for wind socks in fields, indicating the landing sites. Upwards, you can usually see the take-off points from quite a distance if you know what you're looking for: the sign of open dirt or wooden platforms slanting downwards at the edge of steep hill or cliff.

Bar-sur-Loup

Azur Vol Libre

372 chemin du Bosquet; 06620 Le Bar-sur-Loup

Tel: (33) 493 09 44 54; Fax: (33) 493 09 44 54

Barcelonnette

Barcelonnette (04)

Ecole de parapente de l'Ubaye is a paragliding school, located at the Aérodrome de Saint-Pons, a couple of km west of Barcelonnette.
Address: 04400 Barcelonnette; Tel: (33) 492 81 34 93; fax: (33) 492 81 15 17.

Moustiers-Ste-Marie

Verdon Passion is a paragliding outfit in Moustiers-Ste-Marie, 45 km west of Castellane and about 50 km south of Digne.
Address: 04370 Moustiers-Ste-Marie; Tel: (33) 492 74 69 77; Fax: (33) 492 74 60 71.
Moustiers-Ste-Marie is worth a visit anyway but, located at the northern end of the
Lac de St. Croix and the western end of the Grand Canyon du Verdon, it's pretty busy during the summer season.

Nice

Parachuting.

C.P.N. - Cercle Parachutiste de Nice

7, Rue Gubernatis; 06300 Nice

Tel: (33) 493 62 28 91; (33) 493 98 01 10

Open: Tue, Thur; 10h-20h30

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin

This is one of the most popular paragliding sites in the South of France, especially during the winter, with a large international participation.

St Martin-Vésubie

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Seyne-les-Alpes

Seyne-les-Alpes is 41 km north of Digne, on the main D900 road.
The Mairie (city hall) of Seyne provides a shuttle service to the Col Bas of the Dormillouse mountain. This is about 6 km northeast of Seyne, at 2100 m altitude.
Maison des Jeunes, 04140 Seyne-les-Alpes; Tel: (33) 492 35 00 42; Fax: (33) 492 35 18 98.

St André-les-Alpes

Aérogliss at the Base de Loisirs des Iscles (leisure-sports center) provides facilities and professional guidance for paragliding. Jump-off is from the mountains just northwest of St. André, and landing is just at the edge of town, on the open plain at the end of the Lac de Castillon.
Address: 04170 St. André-les-Alpes; Tel: (33) 492 89 11 30; Fax: (33) 492 89 02 36.

Vinon-sur-Verdon

There's a hanggliding club here in Vinon-sur-Verdon, near the junction of the Verdon and the Durance in the center of Provence.